diff --git a/test/framework/cluster_proxy.go b/test/framework/cluster_proxy.go
index b1fe5b8e9f2b..843a97c3ba66 100644
--- a/test/framework/cluster_proxy.go
+++ b/test/framework/cluster_proxy.go
@@ -24,10 +24,12 @@ import (
 	"os"
 	"path"
 	goruntime "runtime"
+	"time"
 
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
 	corev1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/wait"
 	"k8s.io/client-go/kubernetes"
 	"k8s.io/client-go/rest"
 	"k8s.io/client-go/tools/clientcmd"
@@ -41,6 +43,11 @@ import (
 	"sigs.k8s.io/cluster-api/test/infrastructure/container"
 )
 
+const (
+	retryableOperationInterval = 3 * time.Second
+	retryableOperationTimeout  = 1 * time.Minute
+)
+
 // ClusterProxy defines the behavior of a type that acts as an intermediary with an existing Kubernetes cluster.
 // It should work with any Kubernetes cluster, no matter if the Cluster was created by a bootstrap.ClusterProvider,
 // by Cluster API (a workload cluster or a self-hosted cluster) or else.
@@ -168,8 +175,18 @@ func (p *clusterProxy) GetScheme() *runtime.Scheme {
 func (p *clusterProxy) GetClient() client.Client {
 	config := p.GetRESTConfig()
 
-	c, err := client.New(config, client.Options{Scheme: p.scheme})
-	Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred(), "Failed to get controller-runtime client")
+	var c client.Client
+	var newClientErr error
+	err := wait.PollImmediate(retryableOperationInterval, retryableOperationTimeout, func() (bool, error) {
+		c, newClientErr = client.New(config, client.Options{Scheme: p.scheme})
+		if newClientErr != nil {
+			return false, nil //nolint:nilerr
+		}
+		return true, nil
+	})
+	errorString := "Failed to get controller-runtime client"
+	Expect(newClientErr).ToNot(HaveOccurred(), errorString)
+	Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred(), errorString)
 
 	return c
 }